Friday Afternoon Pick Me Up

I'm in a real quandary here. I was just going to post the bottom pic of "Katrina the Bikini Girl" from American Idol, but I couldn't let the top pic just fade off into Internet oblivion. Is that not one of the craziest pics you've ever seen? I mean, I could stare at that thing for two hours longer than I ever could at the greatest paintings in the world. The guy's stance. His expression. The fat chick's unadulterated anger. That thing belongs in a museum. It's inspirational.

Decatur ISD Demographics

An in-the-know reader sent along a spreadsheet of the make up of Decatur ISD. Link. As of last year: Students: 2,908 % White: 68.6 % Hispanic: 28.4 % Other: 2.9

And Another

Link.

More Demographic Talk

A faithful reader sent me this info on Bridgeport ISD 1994 Total Students: 1,842 % Hispanic: 19 % White: 80 % Other: 1 2004 Total Students 2,226 % African American: 1 % Hispanic: 27 % White: 72 % Other: 1 2007 Total Students 2,239 % African American: 1 % Hispanic: 35 % White: 63 % Other: 1

Friday Morning Pick Me Up

The hot wife of new University of Tennessee football coach, Lane Kiffin. Makes me want to volunteer.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Yeah, Indian Girl two days in a row. But I love her.
• Still don't care anything about American Idol.
• I ate one Lean Cuisine meal and one can of soup yesterday. That pretty much filled me up.
• Yesterday, across the country, 828 lawyers at the biggest law firms in the nation were laid off because of the recession.
• Did you see the picture of the crazy lady who gave birth to eight rug rats before she bingoed? Oh, my.
• I slept through my alarm today.
• Every person on probation in Wise County pays $60 a month in probation fees. I wonder if the probation departments budget is a public record? I'd like to know.
• Most police sketches of subjects don't look very human.
• I don't know why anyone cares about the Mavericks. There is a 100% chance that if they make the playoffs they will be gone in the first round - second round tops.
• 49 people die in a plane crash in upstate New York last night. Get this: There was a female pilot at the helm.

Limited Interest

But I liked it. This has to be the craziest end to a high school game ever. A multitude of technical fouls gave both teams a TON of free throws at the end of the game. But for one guy in the white jersey, he found himself at the free throw line with 18 (yep, 18!!) free throws to shoot with his team down by 11 points with 12 seconds to go. Good times.

Made Me Laugh

A rare "go there" link entitled "A Valentine's Idea For Those Of You Who Despise Your Girlfriend" which is Dallas Cowboys related. And the third comment was gold.

I'm Stunned By This

Since 2001-2002 there have been more Hispanics enrolled in Texas schools than Whites. I'm not stunned that the trend is increasing. But the pure number of enrolled Whites is declining? (Graph via Bud Kennedy's Twitter feed.)

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Yesterday I mentioned that Sirius Satellite Radio was down to 11 cents a share. Now they are worth 5.5 cents a share. But good news: If they declare bankruptcy they can void Howard Sterns $100 million a year contract.
• If I ever get a senior citizen in my office who has been recently arrested, I'm normally in for a pretty entertaining time.
• A huge beat down: Yesterday's Congressional panel of show boaters grilling bank CEOs. It's all about sound bites and nothing more.
• And what do you think the head of Wells Fargo was thinking as he had to sit there getting yelled at? It's true that the bank didn't even ask for the bailout money.
• If the banks aren't loaning money, they are not making money. Are there failures on the horizon?
• I was behind a young girl yesterday on 287 who came inches from going off the pavement. She was texting.
• But it would be dumb to have a law against texting. We've got a law against reckless driving. And if we have a specific law for texting, we need one for radio station changing, newspaper reading, and putting on make up.
• I was desperately out of gas this morning and couldn't find my wallet. I finally rounded up three $1 bills that I had to sheepishly hand to the gas clerk.
• Now that the Stimulus Package has passed, does the far right wing want the economy to fail? (That's the same logic that Rush/Hannity fired off when they said that those that oppose the war in Iraq wanted the carnage over there to continue so public support would drop.)
• "Police in the South Carolina county where Michael Phelps was photographed smoking from a marijuana pipe have been arresting people as they seek to make a case against the superstar swimmer, a lawyer for one arrested person said Thursday." You've got to be kidding. If they arrested Phelps it would be ridiculous to be "arresting people" on the fringe? Cops Gone Wild.
• I've got Sicko by Michael Moore on top of my DVD player that I need to watch.
• You cannot turn on a premium movie channel without the spare movie Breach being played.
• I finally got signed up for the Cowtown Half Marathon. A buddy of mine is running his first full marathon at the same time.
• Danica Patrick new swimsuit photo spread in Sports Illustrated. I still hate her.

The Cleanse: Day 10 (The Final Day)

• Finally!!
• I think my bathroom scale is screwed up. I can't believe my weight remained constant for the last three days and then suddenly drops 3.5 pounds on the final day.
• It truly became a contest of mind over body. I liked that. And I won't lie, the fact that I publicized my plight here was a heck of a motivation.
• That might be a good trick if you want to try the program: Tell as many people as you can that you are doing the program.
• Should you do it? I guess it depends on your personality. I found it to be an almost spiritual experience.
• What will I eat now? Probably soup today. Maybe some type of Lean Cuisine.
• I cannot believe I went 10 days without food.

Mood: Triumphant Feeling: Great Weight Loss: 9.0 lbs

"Outside Of IGA in Decatur"

(Thanks emailer Tyler) Edit: Minutes later, emailer Adam sent the pic below. (I'm posting it as the silver medal winner.)

Open Your Wallets

The crazy mother-of-14-Angelina-Jolie-wannabe has a new web site where you can give her money. (Either that, or someone has a heck of a scam going on.) (Thanks emailer Rhonda)

Obama Causes Another Crack In Bush's Old School Form Of Secret Government

Story.

Don't Laugh. Seriously. Stop It.

There's so much to see here. Bike damage. Van damage. Human projectile damage. And then you notice the kids in driveway waiting for their "cool friend" to do the jump. Edit: MzChief says this is from a movie. Ugh. Still funny, though. Edit #2: And the movie didn't exactly wow the critics:

Oh, My

A Tarrant Couny Sheriff's van, apparently full of inmates, has overturned on Loop 820. That TxDot picture shows a row of ambulances lined up. Edit: And the author of the A Word To The Wise . . . County blog took this pic today:

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I saws a blurb about former Bush Attorney General (and constitution stomper) Alberto Gonzales not being able to find a job. But I couldn't confirm that.
• Everyone tells me to get satellite radio, but I wonder if there will be any satellite radio. Sirius is on the verge of bankruptcy with it's stock selling at 11 cents a share.
• Watching the weather last night on Fox 4, they kept asking one of the weather guys what was going on itn the "chat session". I think they were referring to some chat area controlled by the National Weather Service, but it sure sounds funny.
• Last night's storms were intense but very brief. Just like many marriages.
• Great line from a family member on the concept of Project Graduation: "Why do we have to bribe kids to do what they are supposed to do anyway?"
• Everywhere I go, girl scouts or harassing me to buy cookies.
• Texas Tech and Texas have agreed to move their Big 12 football game to a prime time national telecast on September 19th. I like Tech, but that could be a blood bath at the hands of the Evil Empire. The game is in Austin, Tech is rebuilding, Texas is loaded, and revenge is in the air.
• Decatur ISD is installing flat screen TVs for the purpose of displaying generic school announcements?
• A Fort Worth district judge resigns because $140,000 a year just isnt' enough. These are indeed tough times.
• I once said, "We can't do that. It would open up a can of Pandora's boxes." The room then stopped down and stared at me.
• First the crazy bank bailout by Bush, now the crazy stimulus package by Obama, and now we're moving back to the banks to bail them out again. Can't we just let everything implode and start over?
• Our state government got to kill someone last night. His last words: "My only statement is that no cases ever tried have been error-free. Those are my words. No cases are error-free." Huh?

The Cleanse: Day 9

• I see the finish line, and I'm excited.
• The program, amazingly, gets easier as the days go by. I'm rarely hungry, and I'm certain I could do this for another week. But there's no way I will.
• I'm kind of surprised about losing only 5.5 lbs, but I really didn't have that much to lose to start with. But my clothes are incredibly loser. (Most people lose in excess of 10.)
• Someone wrote yesterday that it was a "waste" since I had loss 5.5 lbs of "pure muscle." Hey, I didn't have 5.5 lbs of muscle to start with.
• But, once again, this was not about weight loss. It was about cleansing, And, trust me, that has been accomplished.
• I've been 100% faithful to the program. There has not been one piece of food of any type that has entered my mouth in nine days.
• Although I appreciate all the advice, there sure are a lot of experts out there.
• The program says that I should start easing out of the program by only drinking orange juice on Day 11. Riiiiiiiiiiight.
• I've continued my routine of jogging every other day without difficulty.
• My Dallas nemeses emailed me yesterday and told me she was sick with the flu. Karma!
• I had some funny text messages from an unfamiliar number last night telling me that he/she was eating Tacos al Carbon at Posada's. The last one was signed "Double Fake Reverse Text Heckler."

Mood: Ecstatic Feeling: 99% of normal Weight loss: 5.5 lbs

Does This Cross Dressing Bank Robber . . .

. . . look like a man who would reside in Wise County and be a registered sex offender? Why, yes, it does.

Since I Am The Wise County Pete Delkus

I am predicting a tornado will not hit Wise County. This prediction does not include an area east of New Fairview. I'll get back to you on that.

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

This is the gal who is on the cover of Sport Illustrated this week. I think I speak for all guys when I say that her name is not important. We'll just call her future Mrs. Green #8.

Things I Learned Why Drinking My Lunch

This post isn't my normal course of hard hitting journalism, just something that I found interesting. While reading this week's issue of Time magazine at lunch -- what some would call the Liberal Media or Drive By Media -- I came across this story. Pretty fascinating about how a little computer program called Auto-Tune has tricked up popular music to make it sound perfect. "Right now, if you listen to pop, everything is in perfect pitch, perfect time," say producer Rick Rubin. "That's how ubiquitous Auto-Tune has become." I used to gripe to my significant other that I hate bands like Nickelback or Linkin Park because they sounded so "over produced." It was the only way I could describe what I was hearing -- it was as if something wasn't right. Now I know why.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Channel 8's Cynthia Izaguirre thinks we care about her last name far more than we actually do. Two words: High. Maintenance.
• A cop shot at a fleeing Hulen mall shoplifter last night? Shot at? What is this? A 1970s TV cop show?
• And at 6:30 a.m., the news broke that a person had been shot in the head at the high tone Northpark Center. A car fired from outside and hit a cleaning crew member (according to Fox 4.)
• Keep away from all malls today.
• One of my sources deep inside the colon of Fox 4 News tells me I'm the #10 referrer to their web site.
• President Obama looked very presidential in his news conference last night. I don't think there will ever be a web site dedicated to "Obamaisms".
• Alex Rodriguez will be booed mercilessly all year. If he didn't have a thick skin before, he better grow one.
• The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which comes out this month, just doesn't have the same punch that it used to.
• Finally saw Tony Romo's interview with Babe Laufenberg on Sunday night. That guy is clueless.
• If I can remember, I want to go to the gun show in Fort Worth on Saturday. There has to be a ton of Blog material walking around in that place.
• Everywhere I turn I hear people say, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" -- like that phrase has just been invented.
• You guys continue to amaze me at your Obama hatred. Case in point: The post below which pointed out the number of government jobs in the metroplex which was immediately followed by the "blame it on Obama" comments. Like he had anything to do with the number of police officers already in Arlington or the number of teachers in Lewisville.
• My all time hated phrase is, "If you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait a minute."
• Second all time hated phrase, "I hate it when that happens."
• I think the phrase "That's a little toooooooo much information" originated in Pulp Fiction.
• The radio is full of Vermont Teddy Bear ads for Valentines. Their catch phrase is that delivery to your spouse's offices will cause "her co-workers to think you are the most romantic guy on the planet." You might not be, but at least others will think that.
• The Huckabee Report on WBAP (five minutes long at 7:30 a.m. ) is a romper room for conservatives.
• Some people speak of the need for a new American revolution, and I seriously believe I might see one in my lifetime. But it will only happen when times get so bad that food is in short supply.
• For the first time ever yesterday, I finished the Dallas Morning News and decided it wasn't worth the 75 cents I had just spent. There was hardly anything in it.
• Reader submitted pic above. Blame him. Not me.

The Cleanse: Day 8

• Not a whole lot more to add, I'm just cruising. It's really no different than days 4 through 7.
• I did suffer a headache for the first time last night. Some people complain that headaches are a major symptom of this program.
• One of our office folks dropped down a bag of candy on my desk yesterday as a belated birthday gift. It haunted me all day.
• I fired up the salt water flush last night again. Sheesh.
• I think my colon is as clean as an operating room floor.
• I can't tell you the number of people who have told me they plan on doing The Master Cleanse.
• Some people stop me in the courthouse and ask, in a very concerned voice, "You doing OK?" as if I might pass out and go tumbling down the stairs any second.
• No text from my Dallas nemesis last night.

Mood: Wishful Feeling: About as normal as can be Weight loss: 5.5 lbs

More Government

I've often wondered, but today I learned that 253,740 people "in Dallas-Fort Worth" are government employees. Source. And as a comment on that source pointed out, that "doesn’t count the thousands working for defense and aerospace contractors in the area (Lockheed-Martin, Bell Helicopter, Raytheon, etc…)" We've got a beast on our hands.

Choose Your Petition

Grabbed both from the local Fox 4 web site. Man, I love America. (And the Kellogg boycott is because of the company's decision to dump Michael Phelps.)

Two Unrelated Things People Sent Me

(1) "Snoop! Snoop-a-loop!" - Will Ferrell (Old School) (2) Guy makes shocking admission: StarTribune - A 41-year-old Minneapolis man is admitting that he sexually assaulted 10 University of Minnesota female students in recent weeks, grabbing them because he is attracted to the female buttocks, according to charges filed today.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Allison Krauss won a Grammy last night -- I've always thought she was a big time cutie. (But Krauss and Robert Plant are a weird combo although I'm compelled to track down that winning song.)
• Funny line from Saturday Night Live: What do you tell your kids when they ask why they can't smoke dope like Michael Phelps? Tell them they can ---- as soon as they win 12 gold medals.
• The Grammy's used to have a bit of haughty air about it. Not anymore. Performing last night: Jonas Brothers, Kid Rock, and Miley Cyrus.
• Crazy Grammy moment: M.I.A. (honestly, I had no idea who she was) performing nine months pregnant. I'll find a pic. You won't believe the outfit. Edit: Got it.
• Uh, He's Just Not That Into You looks like it might be funny.
• The Southlake Town Center parking lot is always packed.
• Finally got around to watching Whoopi Goldberg and Hannity. Bor. Ing. He cowered down and made it a lovefest.
• Kirk Cameron, who has gone very Christian, is in a new movie called Fireproof. Never heard of it? Join the club. But the movie which was made for probably $500,000 has already made over $33 million.
• What a mess Obama inherited. But I still feel comfortable seeing someone confident in the Oval Office for a change.
• I don't consider a 72 degree day afternoon with 25 mph winds as a "nice day."
• Regarding the kid that bled to death over the weekend while trying to burglarize a car: We talked about a similar scenario in law school and most of the class threw down the callous "he got what he deserved" comment. I still remember the professor looking up and saying, "He shouldn't have been stealing, but I'm not sure he deserved the death penalty for that particular crime."
• Oh, and WBAP, with two days to cover the story, reported this morning that the death occurred in Decatur.
• Finally finished Season 2 of The Wire. Love it.
• The Rangers signed Andruw Jones to a minor league contract this weekend. Stay with me here. One year ago he signed a two year, $36 million deal with the Dodgers but turned out to be a colossal failure. Since in baseball all contracts are guaranteed, he cut a deal with the Dodgers where he would agree to defer the payment on the balance of his contract so they could release him. Incredible.

The Cleansing: Day 7

• The easiest day so far. I have no idea why I'm not starving, but I guess my body has just adjusted.
• I passed (pardon the pun) on the salt water cleanse yesterday. I just thought my body needed a rest. But I did drink the tea.
• I had more energy than normal.
• I haven't slept as soundly as other people on the program claim to. Then again, I never sleep through the night.
• Weekend conquered! I'm home free now.
• I hope.
• Someone wrote I could have lost more weight if I had just been drinking Slimfast. Uh, it's the Master Cleanse Program not the Drink Silly Slimfast Diet.
• My Dallas nemesis text: "Chicken broth and clear liquids. Have my own version of master cleanse going."

Mood: Like I'm ahead in the 4th quarter Feeling: Darn near normal Weight Loss: 5.5 lbs

Wanna Shed A Tear?

Link.

The Cleansing: Day 6

• It's kind of mundane now. I'm beginning to get tired of cutting lemons, mixing lemons, and drinking a concoction made of lemons.
• The worst part about Saturday was the loss of the simple joy of eating. When you don't have to plan for lunch or dinner, it kind of makes for a blah kind of day.
• But to say I'm starving would be a lie. A slight hunger pain, but really no big deal.
• Some one wrote the I should enjoy the journey instead of looking towards the end. That's probably pretty good advice.
• I jogged yesterday with no issues. Actually felt pretty good.
• Many people who do the program claim that by this point they "have more energy than ever" by this point. Although I don't feel bad, I don't find that to be true.
• I started this thing so abruptly that my refrigerator is still full of tempting food. I get to see that every time I open it to get water.
• That Fiji bottled water is kind of expensive -- but it comes in one quart containers which is perfect for my mixtures.
• Once I get off this thing, I'm thinking of starting Nutrisystems. That will seem like an all you can eat buffet.
• My Dallas text nemesis resurfaced last night at 8:47 p.m.: "Snuffers cheese fries and lots of beer."

Mood: Resigned but positive Feeling: A tad bit lethargic Weight loss: 5.0 lbs.